Way back home
by SheilaTF
Summary: How the Fosters are dealing with Callie's comeback and Brandon's absence. Some of Jude and Callie's past is revisited. Old friends come back. New beginings. The characters don't belong to me, they belong to ABC family and The Foster's creators.
1. Prologue

Things were returning to normal at the Foster's home after Callie's return. The kids were used again to share the bathroom and the morning routine was already sorted so they wouldn't be late for school anymore.

The only thing that was missing was Brandon. Nobody said anything because they knew it was best for both Callie and him to stay apart for a while until they could spend time as family. But all this didn't make Jesús miss less his older brother and their "fights" when they played video games, or Mariana forget how he always defended her when she and Jesús fought. Lena missed listening Brandon play the piano and even Jude missed having him at the house, even if they hadn't solved all the issues between them yet.

But the two that missed him more, even though they saw him almost everyday were Stef and Callie. Callie was used to push her feelings aside so no one suspected how much she was hurting. She felt guilty because she thought she had been the reason why Brandon had left the house but most of all, she missed talking to him. He hadn't been only her boyfriend for a couple of weeks, he had been her first friend there, the first who trusted her and the first who had earned her trust. She missed playing the guitar with him, talking about nothing and simply she missed having him around. She still saw him at school but it wasn't the same. He was always polite and distant, something he had never been before with her and that made her feel even worse.

And, finally, Stef was the most affected by Brandon's absence. She had never lived apart from her son more than a couple of days when he was at Mike's and with her schedule she could barely see him during the week. She wasn't used to this and even if she knew that was the best for her kids right now, she couldn't help missing her son so much.


	2. Chapter 1 Coming home or going away?

Brandon was walking to class when he heard someone call his name. It was his music teacher. He gestured for Brandon to come into his classroom and disappeared inside. Brandon hesitated one moment and then followed him inside.

"Hey, Mr. Anthony. What happened?" asked Brandon when he entered the class.

"I wanted to talk to you about a music scholarship, I figured you'd be interested, even if lately you haven't been around as much as before" smiled Mr. Anthony.

"Yeah, well. I had some stuff to deal with, and the family... you know." answered Brandon evasively. "I don't know if I'm interested on the scholarship..."

"You'll be. I'm sure" Mr. Anthony interrupted him. "It's not like the ones you have applied to lately. It's a full ride scholarship to an exclusive music academy. It's very rare that they give scholarships but once a year they have a little competition for one full ride scholarship and 10-15 admissions to their program."

"Wow. I don't know what to say."

"Mr. Marshall, your piano teacher. called me yesterday and he told me to make sure you went to the audition. He said he didn't want to see a kid like you waste his talent because he couldn't afford the education required to develop it."

"He really said that?"

"Yes," smiled Mr. Anthony. "And he told me he had spoken to some members of the jury there to make sure you had a fair chance even if you entered late."

"Wow" Brandon was impressed that the "Green Reaper", as he used to call his former teacher, had gone throughout all this for him. "I think I should try then."

"Yes, you should. Almost everyone who graduates from this school gets into Julliard. And you always wanted to go there, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." answered Brandon unsure.

It seemed so long away when all he dreamed about was graduating and getting into Julliard... now his dreams were filled with a certain brunette...

"Stop" thought Brandon. "Don't even think about her, you can't..."

"I'll help you prepare for the audition." Mr. Anthony interrupted his thoughts. "It would be an honour to get a student from here in Santa Barbara's Academy of Arts"

"Excuse me, Santa Barbara? I though the school was closer." Brandon's excitement eased up a bit. "I've always applied just to the schools near San Diego"

"I know, Brandon, but this one is special. You'll see once you get there." beamed his teacher. "The auditions are in two weeks, so you have to start preparing a piece now. For the original one I guess you could still use the one you had for the last audition that you never really get to play..."

Mr. Anthony continued talking about the preparations but Brandon was only half-listening to him.

He was remembering the reason why he hadn't got to that audition. The memories came to him. His first encounter with Callie, her face when she had opened up about Jude and what they had been going through during their time in that foster home... He stopped himself quickly and thought about the possibility of going that far to school (and a boarding school!). Even though Santa Barbara wasn't that far, he already missed his family now and he only lived like 15 minutes away and saw them almost everyday, he didn't know if he could handle not seeing them as frequently, after all he was still 16. He had to think about it more and then talk to his parents...

He was sure Lena would be really happy and proud if he got in. His dad would be disappointed that he wouldn't be living with him anymore and Brandon was worried he could start drinking again if he left him alone but on the other hand, he knew Mike would also be ecstatic if he was accepted. And finally, his mom... He already missed her like crazy because he almost didn't get to see her but he also knew his mom would support him in everything even if seeing him going away so soon would break her hear a little. Jesus, Mariana, Jude...

And he didn't even want to think about _her_...

A couple of minutes later he was heading to class (he was going to arrive late thanks to Mr. Anthony's love for talking!). He had decided to tell his mom and Lena first over that night's dinner, and if they agreed he would tell his dad and they all would decide if he was going or not to the audition.

_Later that day..._

Stef was humming to herself while preparing dinner. She was going to see Brandon, as he was finally going to have dinner with them that night and she was in such good spirit that she couldn't help smiling. She missed her son like crazy and was hoping that she could convince him to come back to the house now that the things were more normal.

Lena was smiling from the door watching Stef prepare everything. She knew how hard the last few weeks had been for her and seeing her so happy warmed her heart. She knew that even if Stef loved all their children with all her heart, Brandon would always be a little more special for her. She also hoped things could go back to normal and they could have the whole family finally home.

Upstairs, Jude and Jesús were arguing about who got to use the computer that night while Callie and Mariana listened amused from their room.

"You never let me use it, Jesús. I need to do some research for a paper!"

"I'm talking to Emma about this week's tournament and then I wanted to videochat with Lexi" murmured Jesús, ignoring his little brother.

"But moms said it was my computer too! You have to let me use it!"

"You can use mine if you want" said Brandon from the door smiling. "I didn't even took it to dad's because I have another one there."

"Brandon!" shouted Mariana and went to her brother to hug him.

"Hey, there, Mari! C'mon, you saw me today at school." laughed Brandon when her sister got to him.

"But it's not the same! We miss you here!" replied Mariana letting him go.

"Yeah, bro, it's not the same without you" said Jesus giving him a slap on the back.

"Yeah! Even I miss you!" said Jude smiling. "Thanks for the computer."

"Moms!" shouted Mariana. "Brandon is here!"

"Come to have dinner then" shouted Stef from downstairs.

Brandon, Jude, Mariana and Jesus went running to the kitchen while Callie followed them still smiling. Just seeing him smile made her feel better and that in turn made her feel guilty that he wasn't home because of her. But tonight, she was resolved to ask him to come back, that they should be okay around each other again, even if it still hurt to see him and knowing he would be his brother, she could handle if it meant that he would come back.


	3. Chapter 2 Brandon's news

**Chapter 2**

Stef looked at her whole family having dinner together at least and couldn't contain a smile. She missed having Brandon there and she was so glad that Callie was finally back. She was decided to convince her son to return to the house. She knew things would be a little awkward at first between him and Callie. It was obvious that they were not over each other as they were constantly avoiding looking at the other but kept sneaking glances when the other didn't look. But Stef was prepared to risk it. They had to start getting ready for this as the adoption was getting closer.

Callie was fighting to control her smile. She had missed so much seeing Brandon like this again. Relaxed, smiling... Even if that remembered her why she had fallen for him in the first place. Moreover, just his presence had put everyone in the house in such good mood, she knew she had to do something to make him come back. She looked around the table and saw everyone smiling.

"_I have to do this"_ she thought. _"I have to convince him to come back."_

She stole another glance at Brandon and caught him smiling at her with a sparkle in his eyes and she couldn't help the happy smile that broke into her face.

Brandon looked around at his family and thought _"I have to tell them about the scholarship... But everyone is so happy, I don't want to ruin the good vibe now."_ Even as he thought this, he kept his grin on his face, he hadn't felt as happy as he did right then for a while and not even the possibility of going away could change that at that moment. He knew the chance of going to the SBHSoA was an opportunity too good to let it go, so he mustered all his resolve and opened his mouth to tell them, just as his mom started to talk.

"So, Brandon. I was thinking that you could come back home already" started Stef. "It's been a month and we all miss you here. What do you think, baby?"

"Oh..." Brandon hesitated and his smile slipped from his mouth. "Hum... Actually, mom, I was going to tell you something about..."

"Yeah?" said Stef worried. Why was his son looking nervous? Didn't he want to come home? She recoiled from that thought.

"I have an audition in two weeks for a scholarship..." said Brandon.

"That's great news!" smiled Lena. "Why do you look so nervous? I'm happy you decided to start playing the piano again."

Stef sighted relieved, that was it then. She pushed the thought about Brandon preferring to stay with Mike away from her mind.

"Eh... This scholarship is not like the others" started Brandon again. "It's a full ride scholarship to go to the High School of Arts..." Everyone smiled and he continued. "...of Santa Bárbara."

Everyone's smile disappeared. Jesús looked at his brother surprised.

"Santa Bárbara? But that's almost 4 hours away!" said Mariana. "Where would you live?"

"It's a boarding school, I read they give every student a small apartment with its own bathroom and a kitchen for the older ones! Isn't it great?" Brandon tried to get everyone in a good mood again. "Jesús, there's a Roller Coaster Skate Park very close to the school, you could go there when you come to visit. And there's also this huge shopping mall, you'd love it Mariana... But, of course, I still have to get in. They just offer one place and it's one of the best arts schools in the country, there will be lots of participants..." Brandon stopped as he knew no-one was really hearing him anymore.

Stef was still in shock but tried to keep the appearances. _Her baby going that far away alone? He was just 16. But he had always dreamed of going to an arts school and if that one was so good..._

Mariana and Jesús were already smiling again, making plans for when they could go see their brother, even if they didn't know if he actually got the place or not.

Jude was looking worried at Callie, he knew better than anyone how good his sister was at hiding her emotions but he could see the hurt in her eyes. He knew she wasn't over Brandon yet and that the thought of him going away upset her.

Callie couldn't believe her ears. One moment everyone was so happy and she thought Brandon would come back and everything would go back to normal. And now, he was talking about moving even further! _Was this because of her? Did he really needed to get that far away just to not see her?_ She tried to ignore that thought. He wouldn't do that. He was doing it for the scholarship. It was a huge opportunity she should be happy for him. But it wasn't so easy to ignore the bad feeling in her chest, as if someone (someone with blueish green eyes) had broken her heart... again.

The rest of the dinner was sightly awkward. Lena trying to make everyone laugh, Jesus and Mariana more or less normal, Jude worried, Callie and Stef silent...

Brandon let out a sight of relief when he got out of the house later that night. He felt bad about it, but at that moment he was relieved he didn't have to deal with all the tension that was at the house. He knew her mother didn't like the idea of him going away and was pretending everything was fine... and Callie... she had looked at him like he had stolen her favourite puppy, with her brown eyes so sad, he had had to contain himself from reaching out and hug her.

He was walking to his dad's home (he insisted on walking and hadn't let his moms take him back) when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw a figure approaching. He would have felt nervous if he hadn't recognised the girl who was walking towards him at the same instant he had laid his eyes on her. He stopped and waited for her to join him. It was obvious that she wanted to talk to him without the moms finding out...

Note: Since everything is going so wrong with Brandon and Callie on the show, I think I'll try to make up for it here, so expect some cute moments in the next chapter :)


	4. Chapter 3 Feelings

**Chapter 3**

_**Hi! I'm Sheila! Thank you so much everyone for the reviews/fallows/favorites! I hope you like this new chapter! It's dedicated to all Brallie shippers who are suffering their separation on the show :)**_

Callie saw Brandon turning around and notice her and at that moment she didn't care at all if someone saw them or what everyone thought about how their relationship should be or how they should feel. She started running and threw herself into his arms. She noticed his sharp intake when she hugged him and in that moment of awkwardness she feared that he really was over her and would push her away. But it didn't take long until Brandon recovered from the surprise and tightened his arms around her, hugging her even closer. It was the first time since the breakup they were this close and alone, even if they were on the middle of the street, no one was around to see them at 11pm. Callie felt all the hurt of the last few weeks slowly receding and hugged Brandon even closer. She didn't want to ever let him go again. She knew that wasn't possible but at that moment it felt good pushing those thoughts away and just enjoy being this close to him, smelling his fresh scent and feeling his breath on her neck.

Brandon was still surprised but he was holding onto Callie like this was the last time they would be seeing each other. He tried to swat away the happiness of just having her in his arms because he knew it would hurt more later, but at that moment he couldn't make himself care about that.

Just then, a car passed next to them and woke them from their reverie. Callie refused to let him go but Brandon dropped a little kiss on her shoulder before separating from her just enough to see her face at the dim light of the street lamps. He saw her eyes filled with unshed tears and his heart broke a little more. He couldn't contain himself and hugged her again, kissing her hair and her forehead lightly. He wanted to make everything that was causing her pain go away, shield her from everything that could ever hurt her. He just wanted her to be happy.

Brandon stepped back again. Just sightly, as they were still hugging, but enough to be able to talk.

"What's wrong, Callie?" murmured Brandon.

Callie shook her head slowly, buried her face in his neck for a moment inhaling his scent once more and then pulled back. His hands were still on her waist and hers on his chest but they were not hugging anymore. Callie took a breath and gathered all her courage.

"Is it because of me?" she asked Brandon with a tiny voice, scared of his answer. "Are you going away because of me?"

"Of course not!" answered Brandon quickly. "It's just that this is such a good opportunity and..."

He didn't get to finish what he was going to say. Callie put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, lightly at first feeling so relieved that he didn't hate her so he had to move away not to see her. But then the intensity of their kiss picked up. She tangled her fingers on his hair, which now was longer than before and she loved it. She loved everything about him and she knew they weren't thinking straight at that moment but she couldn't care less.

Brandon was shocked at first but he quickly got over it and pulled her closer. He opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. They weren't thinking, just feeling and following what their hearts told them for once.

When they pulled back, Callie didn't know how much time had passed, it could have been 5 minutes or 5 hours, she had lost the track of time the moment her lips had touched his. They were both breathing hard and more confused than ever. Both knew this couldn't happen but they weren't even thinking about that at that moment. Brandon bent down a little and touched her forehead with his. They looked at each other's eyes and talked about millions of things just like that, without opening their mouths. Their connection was so strong that they were able to communicate just with their eyes. Brandon saw the hurt Callie was working so hard to hide and Callie saw that behind his enthusiasm for the opportunity of going to that school, he was still brokenhearted. They could feel their love for each other. They could feel the electricity when they touched. They could feel that they have been made for each other but... even then, they knew this moment couldn't last too long. That they would have to go back to their normal life and that meant staying apart. So they stayed close just one moment more, before finally pull back.

When they stopped touching, Callie felt the cold again. She hugged herself but Brandon had another idea. He passed his arm around her shoulders and pushed her until they were seating on the ground in a nearby park, with their backs against the side of a little playhouse. His arm was still around her and Callie leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder.

"We need to talk," said Brandon.

"I know," answered Callie. "But not right now. I want to enjoy just this few moments. I know tomorrow everything will be back to normal and we'll have to keep our distance. But, right now, I don't care about any of this."

Brandon didn't push her, basically because he felt the exact same way. It was sad that they were so perfectly matched when it came to this but they couldn't be together.

"So, what about that school?" asked Callie. "Is it a good one, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's one of the best in the country. Moreover, most of their graduated students get into Julliard afterwards so it's a huge chance I can't let pass by... You understand, don't you? It's not because I want to go away, in fact that's one of the things that made me hesitate at first about going to the audition or not..." answered Brandon while tracing little figures on Callie's arm with his fingers.

"I'm really proud of you" smiled Callie interrupting him.

"But I'm not in yet!" answered Brandon laughing.

"I know you'll get in. You're an awesome pianist. If they don't chose you, they don't know what they're doing."

Brandon smiled at her and at that moment he could see how it would be if they were together. Moments like this everyday, being able to kiss her, hug her without anyone looking at them disappointed...

Callie and Brandon were transfixed looking at each other when a small _bip_ startled them. It was a message from Mariana, asking Callie where she was and to come back soon if she didn't want her moms to caught her.

Callie got up and started walking towards the house. She didn't even wanted to say goodbye. It had been a perfect moment and she didn't want to ruin it. But she only got two steps before Brandon caught her arm, spun her around and kissed her. She didn't even think, she put her arms around his neck and backed until her back was against the playhouse. A couple of minutes later, Brandon pulled back sightly and smiled at her.

"Now you can go." murmured Brandon, still sightly out of breath.

Callie pressed one last kiss to his mouth and finally started walking towards the house again, this time without him pulling her back, even tough she wished he did it.

_**So this is it! I hope you like it! Let me know what do you think about the story so far, please. I'll try to upload another chapter tomorrow.**_


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